Due to recent events such as severe storms and terrorist attacks, there is a heightened interest in protecting structures or other sites from forced entry, high velocity winds, from blasts due to bombs or other explosive devices, from ballistic projectiles such as bullets, and to provide physical security to building occupants. The windows and doors in many standing structures were not designed with the intent of resisting high velocity winds and debris associated with natural events such as hurricanes or tornadoes, from forced-entry, or from unnatural events such as bomb blasts and/or high velocity projectiles and thus these structures may be particularly vulnerable to such events.
Bricking up windows, while effective, eliminates their functionality and is usually not a rapidly deployable option. Boarding over windows and doors has limited effectiveness and may contribute to the debris found in high velocity wind events. Also, boards over windows and doors can be easily removed by perpetrators intent on breaching a building's physical security and offer little ballistics resistance.
A number of workers in the art have attempted, with varying degrees of success to address these issues.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,728 issued to Strauss et al. discloses a securing element for tensionally fastening additions like roof balustrades, exterior stairways, roofs, arbors, greenhouses, pergolas, advertising elements, poster walls, etc. that function as extensions or expansions, to structures, especially single-story structures erected with a kit of components. The securing element extends over the total length of one side of the main structure and has at least one fastening rail that extends over its own total length.
Frohlich et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,782 describes a transport anchor for transporting a heavy part. The anchor is embedded in the heavy part, includes a sleeve having an inner thread for receiving a load bearing member. The sleeve has a first section with an exterior end face positioned flush with the exterior surface of the heavy part. The sleeve has a second section with a receiving member for an anchoring element of the heavy part. A first plug with an outer thread is threaded into the inner thread of the sleeve and is moveable along the inner thread. The first plug has a plug end face facing outwardly relative to the heavy part. The load bearing member can frictionally engage the plug end face of the first plug. The load bearing member has a base body with an outer thread for cooperation with the inner thread of the sleeve. The base body has a first end for insertion into the sleeve, whereby the first end has an end face with an axial recess or an axial projection providing at least one matching contact surface for cooperation with the at least one axial contact surface at the plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,951 issued to Frohlich provides an anchoring device for the construction industry. The device has an anchor rail that is C-shaped in cross-section and has a hollow interior so that the anchor rail has a back and legs connected to the back. The legs have angled free ends pointing toward one another and delimiting therebetween a longitudinal slot. The back has outwardly extending projections, each having an opening. Each opening has a double cone rim widening radially outwardly from the opening with radially outwardly diverging first and second conical surfaces. The double cone has an outer edge facing outwardly relative to the hollow interior. A plurality of anchors is connected to the anchor rail, whereby each one of the anchors is received in one of the openings and attached thereto by plastic material deformation of the anchor rail and/or the anchor. The anchor has a cylindrical shaft with a head and a base opposite the head. The base of the shaft is positioned in the opening. In an initial state of the anchor, before attachment to the anchor rail, the shaft and the base have a cross-section that is smaller than the cross-section of the outer edge. The plastic material deformation of the base engages the double cone of the rim.
Fricker in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,062 teaches an anchoring device for housing/building construction which has at least one anchoring member with a shaft and a first and a second end. The anchoring track to which the first end is form-fittingly connected has an inner and an outer surface. The second end has a fastening element for anchoring the device in a substrate such as concrete. At least the shaft is made of a pipe section. The anchoring track has an opening with an inner edge. The first end of the shaft penetrates the opening whereby the first end has at least one appendage formed at the free end penetrating through the opening, whereby the at least one appendage engages the opening from behind.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,606, issued to Dlubak, discloses a penetration resistant window which includes a sheet of window glass having a penetration resistant layer adhered thereto. A floating sheet made of hard material such as glass is adhered to the penetration resistant layer to provide abrasion resistance. The perimeter of the floating sheet is set back from the perimeter of the window glass. This set back is said to allow the window to be mounted in an existing window or door frame such that the perimeter of the window glass is secured to the frame, but the floating sheet is unconstrained by the frame. The penetration resistant window is said to be useful in architectural, residential and institutional applications for resisting debris penetration during hurricanes.
Kies in U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,123 describes a shear stud assembly which is formed at the construction site by assembling double-headed shear studs with a channel system which engages one-headed end of the shear studs. The shear stud assembly may be positioned in a slab, beam, or horizontal element around columns or vertical elements for reinforcement with the studs hanging downwardly from the channel system through the normally congested steel reinforcing. Several forms of channel system are disclosed, each of which permit the length of the assembly and the spacing of the studs to be adjusted to fit, and yet still remain within the design parameters, all without the use of skilled labor or special tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,306, issued to Dlubak provides a penetration resistant window including a sheet of window glass having a penetration resistant layer of ionoplast material adhered thereto. A floating sheet made of hard material such as glass is adhered to the penetration resistant layer to provide abrasion resistance. The perimeter of the floating sheet is set back from the perimeter of the window glass. This set back is said to allow the window to be mounted in an existing window or door frame such that the perimeters of the window glass and penetration resistant sheet are secured to the frame, but the floating sheet is unconstrained by the frame. The penetration resistant window is said to be useful in architectural, residential and institutional applications for resisting debris penetration during hurricanes.
Ting in U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,562 teaches a mullion connector connecting a mullion to a building structure, the mullion connector having a first flange and a second flange in a plane generally perpendicular to the first flange with a first flange having a first fastener opening capable of allowing relative motion of the mullion connector relative to the mullion in at least one direction and a second flange having a second fastener opening capable of allowing relative motion of the mullion connector relative to the building in at least two generally perpendicular directions. By placing the second flange on a generally horizontal surface such as a building floor, and loosely fastening the second flange through the second fastener opening to a building anchor, the first flange opening may be attached to the mullion allowing up and down and rotational motion while the second flange opening allows in & out and left to right motion while supporting the mullion. In addition, the pre-assembled mullion connector may also be used to hoist the mullion section and attached mullion connector to its assembly position on the face of the building.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,550, issued to Dlubak, discloses a penetration resistant window including a penetration resistant layer sandwiched between exterior and interior transparent sheets. The perimeter of the penetration resistant layer extends from the perimeters of the exterior and interior transparent sheets in a direction plane parallel with the planes of the transparent sheets. This extension is said to allow the laminated window sheets to be mounted in an existing window frame such that the perimeter of the penetration resistant layer is secured within a channel in the frame, preferably by an adhesive such as silicone glue. The penetration resistant window is said to be useful in architectural, residential and institutional applications for resisting debris penetration during hurricanes.
Lewkowitz, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,245, describes an impact resistant laminated glass and plastic pane for a hurricane resistant door light or similar opening. A glass pane is attached to a flexible plastic sheet that protrudes beyond the peripheral edge of the glass, preferably as an extension of the plastic laminate between outer glass laminate sheets. The pane body is mounted in a building structural part such as a door or wall, at an opening or at a recess, whereby the surface of the structural part extends up to a point adjacent to the pane. The flexible sheet that is attached to the pane, laps over the surface adjacent to the edge of the structural part around the pane. An elongated molding element that preferably frames the opening, is attached to the structural part so as to capture the flexible sheet between the molding element and the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,219 issued to Kelly et al. provides a masonry lintel having a concealed spine which spans between piers to either side of an area to be arched and supports masonry bricks through means of horseshoe shaped plates which ride on the spine. The bricks are supported on the spine by stitching rods which extend through apertures in the plates and the bricks. The plates are received in the grouting space between the bricks and, in the finished lintel, are grouted over to be completely hidden from view. Variations in the relative positions of the piers and the width of bricks used to construct the lintel are accommodated by adjustable supports between the spine and the piers which enable the position of the spine relative to the piers to be selectively adjusted. In the embodiments employing multiple generally parallel spines, these supports provide for adjustable spacing of the spines. Center supports for the spines are adjustable both vertically and horizontally to accommodate various structural design parameters.
Moreno, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,043,884, teaches a stone cladding system for buildings having a support frame formed by a plurality of spaced-apart upright mullions fixed to an exterior of a building by anchor bracket's with a number of horizontal cladding panel support rails mounted in vertically spaced apart rows on the mullions. Each stone cladding panel is mounted between at adjacent pair of vertically spaced-apart rails with a bottom of the cladding panel seated on the lowermost rail and a top of the cladding panel secured to the uppermost rail by a pair of retaining clips. A bottom of each stone cladding panel is fully supported along its length by the lowermost rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,511 issued to Wobber discloses a masonry coupling system for use in commercial and residential construction. In one aspect, the invention of Wobber includes an anchor channel mounted on a structure. The masonry coupling system further includes a key that interfaces the masonry veneer and interlocks with an anchor channel mounted on a structure.
Smith et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,836, describe a glazing element having a transparent laminate secured to a structural support, and a process for preparing the same. The laminate comprises at least one layer of glass having self-adhered directly to the layer of glass a layer of thermoplastic polymer having low haze, wherein the layer of thermoplastic polymer is attached to the structural support along the edges of the laminate.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,784 issued to Wobber provides a masonry anchoring system for use in commercial and residential construction. In one aspect, the invention includes a brick tie that interfaces the masonry veneer and interlocks with an anchor plate mounted on a structure.
Bolton et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 8,286,405, teach a glazing structure comprising one or more impact and fire resistant window layers comprising; A) a first glass or plastic layer; B) a fire resistant layer of a composition which essentially comprises about 10-40% by weight of tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminoethane aminomethane, about 10 to 30% by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of ammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid, ammonium dibasic phosphate, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, and triammonium phosphate; and about 35 to 65% by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of alkali metal borates, ammonium borate and its hydrate, sodium teraborate decahydrate, sodium borate, potassium borate, lithium borate, sodium meta borate tetrahydrate, boric acid, boric anhydride, boric oxides and ammonium borate, adjacent said first glass or plastic layer, and C) a second glass or plastic layer adjacent said fire resistant layer. The laminated architectural structures are said to include walls, floors, stairs, doors, bridges, and security windows for automobiles, bank tellers, ships, ocean platforms, locomotives, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,413,403 issued to Walker, III et al. provides a modular curtain wall system and a method for forming a curtain wall unit. The modular curtain wall system comprises a unit frame and a cassette. The cassette comprises a subframe and an interior portion. The stick unit frame and cassette may be assembled into a curtain wall unit at an offsite facility.
A need continues to exist in the art for highly durable covers which provide protection from forced-entry, ballistics and/or extreme storms in a wide range of climates.